2
CLEANING DEVICE, DRAFT DEVICE, AND SPINNING MACHINE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] The present invention relates to a cleaning
device, a draft device, and a spinning machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0002] In a draft device for drafting a fiber bundle
in a spinning machine, for example, when raw cotton
containing a large amount of cotton sugar is used as the
fiber bundle, the cotton sugar easily adheres to an outer
peripheral surface of a draft roller. As a cleaning
device that removes a foreign substance such as cotton
sugar from an outer peripheral surface of a draft roller,
JP 2014-009404 A describes a device provided with a pad
body having a pad surface that can come into contact
with the outer peripheral surface of the draft roller.
[0004] In a spinning machine equipped with the
cleaning device as described above, if the foreign
substance such as cotton sugar is not uniformly removed
from the outer peripheral surface of the draft roller,
physical properties of a yarn produced in the spinning
machine may be deteriorated.
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BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] An object of the present invention is to
provide a cleaning device, a draft device, and a spinning
machine capable of uniformly removing a foreign
substance from an outer peripheral surface of a draft
roller.
[0006] A cleaning device of the present invention
includes a shaft-shaped member, a holder, a pad body, an
urging member, and an elastic supporting section. The
holder is rotatable about the shaft-shaped member. The
pad body is mounted to the holder, and has a pad surface
that can come into contact with an outer peripheral
surface of a draft roller. The urging member is mounted
to the holder, and urges the holder so that the pad
surface comes into contact with the outer peripheral
surface. The elastic supporting section is mounted to
the shaft-shaped member to support the holder. A width
of the elastic supporting section in an axial direction
of the shaft-shaped member is 1/3 or more and 1/2 or
less of a width of the pad surface in the axial direction.
Further, a distance between a center of the elastic
supporting section and a center of the pad surface in
the axial direction is smaller than the width of the
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elastic supporting section in the axial direction.
[0007] In this cleaning device, when the pad surface
is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the
draft roller by the urging member urging the holder, the
elastic supporting section is deformed so that the pad
surface comes into uniform contact with the outer
peripheral surface of the draft roller. Therefore,
according to this cleaning device, a foreign substance
can be uniformly removed from the outer peripheral
surface of the draft roller.
[0008] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the distance between the center of the elastic
supporting section and the center of the pad surface in
the axial direction may be smaller than 1/2 of the width
of the elastic supporting section in the axial direction.
This enables more reliable exertion of a function of the
elastic supporting section to deform so that the pad
surface comes into uniform contact with the outer
peripheral surface of the draft roller (in this section,
the function is referred to as "a deformation function
of the elastic supporting section").
[0009] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the elastic supporting section may be a single
elastic supporting member. This can simplify a
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structure and reduce a cost.
[0010] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the elastic supporting member may have a
cylindrical shape in which the shaft-shaped member is
fitted. This enables more stable exertion of the
deformation function of the elastic supporting section.
[0011] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, a length of the shaft-shaped member in the
axial direction may be larger than a width of the elastic
supporting member in the axial direction. This enables
more stable exertion of the deformation function of the
elastic supporting section.
[0012] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the shaft-shaped member has a first portion
that includes one end portion of the shaft-shaped member
and is fitted into the elastic supporting member, and a
second portion that is connected to the first portion on
a side opposite to the one end portion. Further, an
outer diameter of the second portion may be larger than
an outer diameter of the first portion. As a result, by
fitting the first portion into the elastic supporting
member from one end portion side to bring the elastic
supporting member into contact with the second portion,
the elastic supporting member can be positioned at a
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position where the deformation function of the elastic
supporting section is exerted.
[0013] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the elastic supporting member may be fixed to
the holder, and the holder may be rotatable together
with the elastic supporting member about the shaftshaped member. As a result, for example, as compared
with a configuration in which the elastic supporting
member is fixed to the shaft-shaped member, and the
holder rotates with respect to the elastic supporting
member, a distance from a center of the shaft-shaped
member to a rotational body (that is the elastic
supporting member in the cleaning device of the present
invention, but is the holder in the exemplified
configuration) becomes shorter. Therefore, the rotation
of the holder can be stabilized. Further, the holder
and the elastic supporting member can be integrally
attached to and detached from the shaft-shaped member,
and maintainability can be improved.
[0014] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the pad surface may have a rectangular shape.
This makes it possible to uniformly remove a foreign
substance from the outer peripheral surface of the draft
roller.
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[0015] In the cleaning device of the present
invention, the urging member may be a plate spring. This
makes it possible to reduce adhesion of fiber pieces to
the urging member, as compared with when a coil spring
is used as the urging member, for example.
[0016] The cleaning device of the present invention
may further include a lever that operates the urging
member to cause the holder to rotate in each direction
of a first direction in which the pad surface comes into
contact with the outer peripheral surface and a second
direction in which the pad surface is separated from the
outer peripheral surface. As a result, for example,
during interruption of production of a fiber bundle by
the draft device, the pad surface can be separated from
the outer peripheral surface of the draft roller.
[0017] The draft device of the present invention
includes the cleaning device described above and a
plurality of pairs of rollers that draft a fiber bundle.
The cleaning device is provided for at least one draft
roller included in a pair of rollers located on a most
downstream side in a travelling direction of the fiber
bundle, among the plurality pairs of rollers.
[0018] According to this draft device, a foreign
substance can be uniformly removed from the outer
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peripheral surface of at least one draft roller included
in a pair of rollers to which the foreign substance is
most likely to adhere due to rotation at a highest speed.
[0019] A spinning machine of the present invention
includes the draft device described above, a pneumatic
spinning device that produces a yarn by twisting a fiber
bundle drafted by the draft device with a whirling
airflow, and a winding device that winds the yarn
produced by the pneumatic spinning device to form a
package.
[0020] According to this spinning machine, since a
foreign substance can be uniformly removed from the outer
peripheral surface of the draft roller, deterioration of
quality of the package formed in the spinning machine
can be avoided.
[0021] According to the present invention, it is
possible to provide a cleaning device, a draft device,
and a spinning machine capable of uniformly removing a
foreign substance from an outer peripheral surface of a
draft roller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a side view of a spinning machine
of one embodiment;
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FIG. 2 is a side view of a cleaning device of one
embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the cleaning device
illustrated in FIG. 2; and
FIG. 4 is a side view of the cleaning device in a
state where a pad surface is separated from an outer
peripheral surface of a draft roller.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present
invention will be described in detail with reference to
the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are
denoted on the same or corresponding portions throughout
the drawings, and redundant description will be omitted.
[Configuration of spinning machine]
[0024] As illustrated in FIG. 1, a spinning machine
1 includes a plurality of spinning units 2 and a
plurality of unit controllers 100. The plurality of
spinning units 2 are arranged in a row. Each spinning
unit 2 drafts a sliver (a fiber bundle) S to produce a
fiber bundle F, twists the fiber bundle F with a whirling
airflow to produce a yarn Y, and winds the yarn Y around
a bobbin B to form a package P. Each unit controller
100 is provided for every predetermined number (one or
10
more) of the spinning units 2, and controls an operation
of each of the spinning units 2. The spinning machine 1
is provided with a machine control device (not
illustrated) that is a higher-level controller of the
plurality of unit controllers 100.
[0025] Hereinafter, an upstream side in a
travelling direction of the sliver S, the fiber bundle
F, and the yarn Y is referred to as "upstream side", and
a downstream side in the travelling direction is referred
to as "downstream side". One side (for example, a work
passage side) in a direction perpendicular to an
arrangement direction of the plurality of spinning units
2 in a horizontal direction is referred to as "front
side", and another side in the direction is referred to
as "rear side". An upper side in a perpendicular
direction is referred to as "upper side", and a lower
side in the perpendicular direction is referred to as
"lower side".
[0026] Each spinning unit 2 includes a draft device
3, a pneumatic spinning device 4, a yarn monitoring
device 5, a yarn accumulating device 6, a yarn joining
device 7, a winding device 8, a first catching guide
device 9a, and a second catching guide device 9b. The
draft device 3, the pneumatic spinning device 4, the
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yarn monitoring device 5, the yarn accumulating device
6, the yarn joining device 7, and the winding device 8
are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the
downstream side. As an example, the travelling
direction of the sliver S, the fiber bundle F, and the
yarn Y from the draft device 3 to the yarn accumulating
device 6 is a direction from the front side toward the
rear side, and is inclined to the upper side with respect
to the horizontal direction. The travelling direction
of the yarn Y from the yarn accumulating device 6 to the
winding device 8 is from the lower side toward the upper
side, and is inclined to the front side with respect to
the perpendicular direction. In each spinning unit 2,
the travelling direction of the yarn Y is switched in
the yarn accumulating device 6.
[0027] The draft device 3 drafts the sliver S to
produce the fiber bundle F. The draft device 3 has a
plurality of pairs of rollers that draft the sliver S.
Specifically, the draft device 3 has a pair of back
rollers 31, a pair of third rollers 32, a pair of middle
rollers 33, and a pair of front rollers 34. The pair of
back rollers 31, the pair of third rollers 32, the pair
of middle rollers 33, and the pair of front rollers 34
are arranged in this order from the upstream side to the
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downstream side.
[0028] The pair of back rollers 31 includes a back
bottom roller 31a and a back top roller 31b. The pair
of third rollers 32 includes a third bottom roller 32a
and a third top roller 32b. The pair of middle rollers
33 includes a middle bottom roller 33a and a middle top
roller 33b. The pair of front rollers 34 includes a
front bottom roller 34a and a front top roller 34b.
[0029] Between the middle bottom roller 33a and the
front bottom roller 34a, a first tensor bar 35a (see FIG.
2) is arranged. On the middle bottom roller 33a and the
first tensor bar 35a, a first apron belt 36a is laid.
Between the middle top roller 33b and the front top
roller 34b, a second tensor bar 35b (see FIG. 2) is
arranged. On the middle top roller 33b and the second
tensor bar 35b, a second apron belt 36b is laid.
[0030] Individual bottom rollers 31a, 32a, 33a, and
34a are rotated by a separate drive motor (not
illustrated) at mutually different rotation speeds so as
to be faster toward the downstream side. Individual top
rollers 31b, 32b, 33b, and 34b and the second apron belt
36b are driven and rotated by the individual bottom
rollers 31a, 32a, 33a, and 34a and the first apron belt
36a.
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[0031] The pneumatic spinning device 4 produces the
yarn Y by twisting the fiber bundle F drafted by the
draft device 3, with a whirling airflow. While the yarn
accumulating device 6 accumulates the yarn Y on a yarn
accumulating roller to absorb fluctuation of tension
generated in the yarn Y on the downstream side of the
yarn accumulating device 6, the yarn accumulating device
6 stably draws out the yarn Y from the pneumatic spinning
device 4. The winding device 8 winds the yarn Y drawn
by the yarn accumulating device 6 around the bobbin B to
form the package P. The winding device 8 has a cradle
arm 8a and a winding drum 8b. The cradle arm 8a
rotatably supports the bobbin B. The winding drum 8b
comes into contact with the bobbin B or the package P,
to rotate the bobbin B or the package P. On a surface
of the winding drum 8b, a traverse groove (not
illustrated) for traverse of the yarn Y in winding of
the yarn Y is formed.
[0032] The yarn monitoring device 5 monitors
information of the travelling yarn Y and detects the
presence or absence of a yarn defect on the basis of the
monitored information. When detecting the yarn defect,
the yarn monitoring device 5 transmits a yarn defect
detection signal to the unit controller 100. When
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receiving the yarn defect detection signal, in order to
cut the yarn Y, the unit controller 100 interrupts
production of the fiber bundle F by the draft device 3
and production of the yarn Y by the pneumatic spinning
device 4, to interrupt supply of the yarn Y. When
receiving the yarn defect detection signal, the unit
controller 100 may operate, for example, a cutter (not
illustrated) to cut the yarn Y. In this case, the yarn
monitoring device 5 may have the cutter.
[0033] When the yarn Y is cut or the yarn Y is
broken for some reason, the yarn joining device 7
performs yarn joining for joining the yarn Y from the
pneumatic spinning device 4 and the yarn Y from the
package P. The yarn joining device 7 is a splicer device
that twists yarn ends with a whirling airflow. Each of
the first catching guide device 9a and the second
catching guide device 9b is swingable about a base end
portion. Before the yarn joining is performed, the first
catching guide device 9a is swung toward the lower side
to catch the yarn Y from the pneumatic spinning device
4 with a suction airflow, and then is swung toward the
upper side to guide the yarn Y from the pneumatic
spinning device 4 to the yarn joining device 7. Before
the yarn joining is performed, the second catching guide
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device 9b is swung toward the upper side to catch the
yarn Y from the package P by a suctioned airflow, and
then is swung toward the lower side to guide the yarn Y
from the package P to the yarn joining device 7.
[Configuration of cleaning device]
[0034] As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the draft
device 3 has a cleaning device 10. The cleaning device
10 is provided for the front bottom roller (the draft
roller) 34a included in the pair of front rollers 34
located on the most downstream side of the plurality of
pairs of rollers 31, 32, 33, and 34 (see FIG. 1). The
cleaning device 10 includes a shaft-shaped member 11, an
elastic supporting section 12, a holder 13, a pad body
14, an urging member 15, and a lever 16. Note that, in
FIG. 3, an outer shape of the holder 13 is illustrated
by a two-dot chain line.
[0035] The shaft-shaped member 11 is mounted, via a
bracket 17, to a base (not illustrated) that supports
the front bottom roller 34a. An axial direction A of
the shaft-shaped member 11 (that is, a direction in which
a center line of the shaft-shaped member 11 extends) is
a direction parallel to a rotational axis of the front
bottom roller 34a. The shaft-shaped member 11 has a
first portion 111 and a second portion 112. The first
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portion 111 is a columnar portion including one end
portion 11a and an intermediate portion 11b in the shaftshaped member 11, and the second portion 112 is a
columnar portion including another end portion 11c
without including the intermediate portion 11b in the
shaft-shaped member 11. That is, the first portion 111
is a portion including the one end portion 11a of the
shaft-shaped member 11, and the second portion 112 is a
portion connected to the first portion 111 on a side
opposite to the one end portion 11a. An outer diameter
of the second portion 112 is larger than an outer
diameter of the first portion 111. The first portion
111 and the second portion 112 are integrally formed of,
for example, metal.
[0036] The elastic supporting section 12 is a single
elastic supporting member 121. The elastic supporting
member 121 is mounted to the first portion 111 of the
shaft-shaped member 11, and is in contact with the second
portion 112 of the shaft-shaped member 11. The elastic
supporting member 121 has a cylindrical shape in which
the first portion 111 is fitted. That is, in a state
where the first portion 111 is fitted into the elastic
supporting member 121, an inner diameter of the elastic
supporting member 121 is equal to an outer diameter of
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the first portion 111. The elastic supporting member
121 is formed of, for example, rubber such as CR and NBR.
The elastic supporting member 121 may be formed of resin.
[0037] The holder 13 is supported by the elastic
supporting member 121. The holder 13 has a main body
131, a first mounting portion 132, and a second mounting
portion 133. The main body 131 has a tubular shape that
surrounds the shaft-shaped member 11 and the elastic
supporting member 121. The elastic supporting member
121 is fixed inside the main body 131 by, for example,
press fitting or adhesion. Between the main body 131
and the shaft-shaped member 11, a gap is formed. The
holder 13 is rotatable about the shaft-shaped member 11
together with the elastic supporting member 121. The
first mounting portion 132 and the second mounting
portion 133 are individually provided outside the main
body 131. The main body 131, the first mounting portion
132, and the second mounting portion 133 are integrally
formed of, for example, synthetic resin. Note that, to
the one end portion 11a of the shaft-shaped member 11,
a cover 18 is mounted so as to cover a gap formed between
the one end portion 11a and the main body 131 when viewed
from the axial direction A.
[0038] The pad body 14 is mounted to the first
18
mounting portion 132 of the holder 13. The pad body 14
has a main body 141 and a mounted portion 142. The main
body 141 is formed with a pad surface 14s that can come
into contact with an outer peripheral surface 34s of the
front bottom roller 34a. The pad surface 14s has a
rectangular shape. The pad surface 14s is curved along
a region of the outer peripheral surface 34s over an
angle range of, for example, 20 degrees, in a
circumferential direction of the front bottom roller 34a.
The mounted portion 142 is provided at an end portion of
the main body 141 on the holder 13 side. The pad body
14 is mounted to the first mounting portion 132 by
sandwiching the mounted portion 142 with a clip 132a
fixed to the first mounting portion 132, and can be
attached to and detached from the first mounting portion
132. The main body 141 and the mounted portion 142 are
integrally formed of, for example, a soft resin such as
ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.
[0039] As an example, the outer peripheral surface
34s is formed with a plurality of grooves extending in
a direction parallel to a rotational axis of the front
bottom roller 34a. The pad surface 14s is formed with a
plurality of grooves extending so as to open in a V shape
toward the downstream side in a moving direction of the
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outer peripheral surface 34s with respect to the pad
surface 14s.
[0040] The urging member 15 is a plate spring 151.
The plate spring 151 is mounted to the second mounting
portion 133 of the holder 13. The plate spring 151
extends such that, with one end portion 151a mounted to
the second mounting portion 133, another end portion
151b is separated from the holder 13. The plate spring
151 urges the holder 13 so that the pad surface 14s comes
into contact with the outer peripheral surface 34s of
the front bottom roller 34a.
[0041] The lever 16 operates the plate spring 151
so that the holder 13 rotates in each direction of a
first direction R1 and a second direction R2. The first
direction R1 is a direction in which the pad surface 14s
comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 34s
of the front bottom roller 34a. The second direction R2
is a direction in which the pad surface 14s is separated
from the outer peripheral surface 34s of the front bottom
roller 34a. The lever 16 is connected to the pneumatic
spinning device 4 (see FIG. 1) in a state of being
engaged with the another end portion 151b of the plate
spring 151.
[0042] In the cleaning device 10, a length L of the
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shaft-shaped member 11 in the axial direction A
(hereinafter, simply referred to as "a length L of the
shaft-shaped member 11") is larger than a width W1 of
the elastic supporting section 12 in the axial direction
A (hereinafter, simply referred to as "a width W1 of the
elastic supporting section 12"). As described above,
since the elastic supporting section 12 is the single
elastic supporting member 121, the width W1 of the
elastic supporting section 12 is a width of the elastic
supporting member 121 in the axial direction A. The
width W1 of the elastic supporting section 12 is 1/3 or
more and 1/2 or less of a width W2 of the pad surface
14s in the axial direction A (hereinafter, simply
referred to as "a width W2 of the pad surface 14s"). A
distance D between a center of the elastic supporting
section 12 and a center of the pad surface 14s in the
axial direction A (hereinafter, simply referred to as "a
distance D between the center of the elastic supporting
section 12 and the center of the pad surface 14s") is
smaller than 1/2 of the width W1 of the elastic
supporting section 12. Note that the center of the
elastic supporting section 12 means a center position of
the width W1 of the elastic supporting section 12, and
the center of the pad surface 14s means a center position
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of the width W2 of the pad surface 14s.
[0043] The cleaning device 10 configured as
described above operates as follows. When the pneumatic
spinning device 4 moves to a spinning position close to
the draft device 3 (see FIG. 1), the lever 16 connected
to the pneumatic spinning device 4 operates the plate
spring 151 so that the holder 13 rotates in the first
direction R1 as illustrated in FIG. 2. This causes the
pad surface 14s to be pressed against the outer
peripheral surface 34s of the front bottom roller 34a.
This state is maintained during operations of the draft
device 3 and the pneumatic spinning device 4 (that is,
production of the fiber bundle F by the draft device 3
and production of the yarn Y by the pneumatic spinning
device 4), and the pad surface 14s removes a foreign
substance from the outer peripheral surface 34s of the
front bottom roller 34a. On the other hand, when the
pneumatic spinning device 4 moves to a separated position
away from the draft device 3, the lever 16 connected to
the pneumatic spinning device 4 operates the plate spring
151 so that the holder 13 rotates in the second direction
R2 as illustrated in FIG. 4. This causes the pad surface
14s to be separated from the outer peripheral surface
34s of the front bottom roller 34a. This state is
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maintained during interruption of the operations of the
draft device 3 and the pneumatic spinning device 4.
[Action and effect]
[0044] In the cleaning device 10, the width W1 of
the elastic supporting section 12 is 1/3 or more and 1/2
or less of the width W2 of the pad surface 14s. The
distance D between the center of the elastic supporting
section 12 and the center of the pad surface 14s is
smaller than 1/2 of the width W1 of the elastic
supporting section 12. As a result, when the holder 13
is urged by the urging member 15 and the pad surface 14s
is pressed against the outer peripheral surface 34s of
the front bottom roller 34a, the elastic supporting
section 12 is deformed so that the pad surface 14s comes
into uniform contact with the outer peripheral surface
34s of the front bottom roller 34a. That is, the pad
surface 14s can be uniformly brought into contact with
the outer peripheral surface 34s of the front bottom
roller 34a without finely adjusting a mounting angle or
the like of the cleaning device 10. Therefore, according
to the cleaning device 10, a foreign substance can be
uniformly removed from the outer peripheral surface 34s
of the front bottom roller 34a. According to the
spinning machine 1, since a foreign substance can be
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uniformly removed from the outer peripheral surface 34s
of the front bottom roller 34a, deterioration of the
quality of the package P formed in the spinning machine
1 can be avoided.
[0045] Note that, if the width W1 of the elastic
supporting section 12 is larger than 1/2 of the width W2
of the pad surface 14s, the elastic supporting section
12 is less likely to be deformed, and the uniform contact
between the pad surface 14s and the outer peripheral
surface 34s is likely to be hindered. If the width W1
of the elastic supporting section 12 is smaller than 1/3
of the width W2 of the pad surface 14s, it is difficult
to stabilize the support of the pad body 14 by the
elastic supporting section 12. Regarding the distance D
between the center of the elastic supporting section 12
and the center of the pad surface 14s, if the distance
D is 1/6 or less of the width W2 of the pad surface 14s,
the support of the pad body 14 by the elastic supporting
section 12 is likely to be stable.
[0046] In the cleaning device 10, the elastic
supporting section 12 is the single elastic supporting
member 121. This can simplify a structure and reduce a
cost.
[0047] In the cleaning device 10, the elastic
24
supporting member 121 has a cylindrical shape in which
the shaft-shaped member 11 is fitted. This enables
stable exertion of a function of the elastic supporting
section 12 to deform so that the pad surface 14s comes
into uniform contact with the outer peripheral surface
34s of the front bottom roller 34a (hereinafter, the
function is referred to as "a deformation function of
the elastic supporting section 12").
[0048] In the cleaning device 10, the length L of
the shaft-shaped member 11 is larger than the width W1
of the elastic supporting member 121. This enables more
stable exertion of the deformation function of the
elastic supporting section 12.
[0049] In the cleaning device 10, in the shaftshaped member 11, the outer diameter of the second
portion 112 is larger than the outer diameter of the
first portion 111 fitted to the elastic supporting member
121. As a result, by fitting the first portion 111 into
the elastic supporting member 121 from the one end
portion 11a side to bring the elastic supporting member
121 into contact with the second portion 112, the elastic
supporting member 121 can be positioned at a position
where the deformation function of the elastic supporting
section 12 is exerted.
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[0050] In the cleaning device 10, the elastic
supporting member 121 is fixed to the holder 13, and the
holder 13 is rotatable together with the elastic
supporting member 121 about the shaft-shaped member 11.
As a result, for example, as compared with a
configuration in which the elastic supporting member 121
is fixed to the shaft-shaped member 11, and the holder
13 rotates with respect to the elastic supporting member
121, a distance from a center of the shaft-shaped member
11 to a rotational body (that is the elastic supporting
member 121 in the cleaning device 10, but is the holder
13 in the exemplified configuration) becomes shorter.
Therefore, the rotation of the holder 13 can be
stabilized. Further, the holder 13 and the elastic
supporting member 121 can be integrally attached to and
detached from the shaft-shaped member 11, and
maintainability can be improved.
[0051] In the cleaning device 10, the pad surface
14s has a rectangular shape. This enables a foreign
substance to be removed more uniformly from the outer
peripheral surface 34s of the front bottom roller 34a.
[0052] In the cleaning device 10, the urging member
15 is the plate spring 151. This makes it possible to
reduce adhesion of fiber pieces to the urging member 15,
26
as compared with when a coil spring is used as the urging
member 15, for example. Note that, if a distance between
a power point of the plate spring 151 and the center of
the pad surface 14s in the axial direction A is 1/6 or
less of the width W2 of the pad surface 14s, it is
possible to sufficiently exert the effect of the plate
spring 151 urging the holder 13 so that the pad surface
14s comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface
34s of the front bottom roller 34a.
[0053] In the cleaning device 10, the lever 16
operates the urging member 15 so that the holder 13
rotates in each direction of the first direction R1 and
the second direction R2. As a result, for example,
during interruption of the production of the fiber bundle
F by the draft device 3, the pad surface 14s can be
separated from the outer peripheral surface 34s of the
front bottom roller 34a. In particular, when the front
bottom roller 34a continues to rotate even during
interruption of the production of the fiber bundle F by
the draft device 3, it is possible to reduce wear or the
like of the pad body 14 by separating the pad surface
14s from the outer peripheral surface 34s of the front
bottom roller 34a during the interruption of the
production of the fiber bundle F by the draft device 3.
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[0054] In the draft device 3, the cleaning device
10 is provided for the front bottom roller 34a included
in the pair of rollers 34 located on the most downstream
side of the plurality of pairs of rollers 31, 32, 33,
and 34. This enables a foreign substance to be uniformly
removed from the outer peripheral surface 34s of the
front bottom roller 34a to which the foreign substance
is most likely to adhere due to rotation at a highest
speed.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the
embodiment described above. The above-described
embodiment and the following alternative embodiment can
be combined as appropriate. A shape illustrated in the
drawings is an example and can be changed as appropriate.
For example, the distance D between the center of the
elastic supporting section 12 and the center of the pad
surface 14s is merely required to be smaller than the
width W1 of the elastic supporting section 12. Even in
that case, the deformation function of the elastic
supporting section 12 can be exerted.
[0056] The elastic supporting section 12 may
include a plurality of elastic supporting members
arranged along the axial direction A. In that case, the
28
width W1 of the elastic supporting section 12 is a
distance from an end on one side of the elastic
supporting member arranged on that one side in the axial
direction A to an end on another side of the elastic
supporting member arranged on that another side in the
axial direction A.
[0057] The elastic supporting member 121 may be
fixed to the shaft-shaped member 11, and the holder 13
may be rotatable about the shaft-shaped member 11 with
respect to the elastic supporting member 121.
[0058] The urging member 15 may be a tension spring,
a compression spring, or an air cylinder.
[0059] For example, when the draft device 3 is
provided with a mechanism to separate the front top
roller 34b from the front bottom roller 34a during
interruption of production of the fiber bundle F by the
draft device 3, the lever 16 may be connected to the
mechanism. Alternatively, the lever 16 may be connected
to a drive source (for example, an air cylinder)
dedicated to the lever 16.
[0060] For example, when the front bottom roller
34a stops during interruption of production of the fiber
bundle F by the draft device 3, a state where the pad
surface 14s is in contact with the outer peripheral
29
surface 34s of the front bottom roller 34a may be
maintained. In that case, the cleaning device 10 need
not include the lever 16.
[0061] The cleaning device 10 can be provided for
at least one draft roller including the front bottom
roller 34a in the draft device 3.
[0062] Each of the middle bottom roller 33a and the
front bottom roller 34a may be provided so as to be
driven simultaneously in the plurality of spinning units
2 by a common drive source. In this case, even if draft
by the draft device 3 and spinning by the pneumatic
spinning device 4 are interrupted in a certain spinning
unit 2, the rotation of each of the middle bottom roller
33a and the front bottom roller 34a is continued.
[0063] The cleaning device 10 provided in each draft
device 3 may be independently supported in each draft
device 3, or may be supported by a common bracket in two
adjacent draft devices 3.
[0064] No groove may be formed on the pad surface
14s.
[0065] The cleaning device 10 may be configured such
that the pad body 14 repeatedly comes into contact with
and is separated from the front bottom roller 34a during
interruption of the operation of the draft device 3
30
and/or the pneumatic spinning device 4.
[0066] In the spinning unit 2, the travelling
direction of the yarn Y has been switched in the yarn
accumulating device 6, but the travelling direction of
the yarn Y need not be switched in the yarn accumulating
device 6. In the spinning unit 2, each device may be
arranged such that the yarn Y supplied at the upper side
is wound at the lower side.
[0067] In order to draw out the yarn Y from the
pneumatic spinning device 4, a delivery roller and a nip
roller may be arranged between the pneumatic spinning
device 4 and the yarn accumulating device 6. When the
delivery roller and the nip roller are provided, instead
of the yarn accumulating device 6, there may be provided
a slack tube, a mechanical compensator, or the like that
absorbs slackening of the yarn Y with a suction airflow.
The yarn monitoring device 5 may be arranged between the
yarn accumulating device 6 and the winding device 8.
[0068] The yarn joining device 7, the first catching
guide device 9a, and the second catching guide device 9b
may be provided in a yarn joining cart that is movable
along an arrangement direction of the plurality of
spinning units 2. A yarn drawing device that draws the
yarn Y from the package P when yarn joining is performed
31
or the like may be provided to a doffing cart that is
movable along the arrangement direction of the plurality
of spinning units 2. The yarn joining device 7 may be a
mechanical knotter or the like. Alternatively, yarn
joining may be performed by restarting the draft of the
sliver S by the draft device 3 and the production of the
yarn Y by the pneumatic spinning device 4 in a state
where the yarn Y from the package P is reversely fed to
the pneumatic spinning device 4.
[0069] In the winding device 8, the traverse groove
may not be formed on the surface of the winding drum 8b,
and the yarn Y may be traversed by the traverse device
provided separately when the yarn Y is wound on the
bobbin B. In the winding device 8, the bobbin B may be
driven to rotate, and the winding drum 8b that is in
contact with the bobbin B may be driven to rotate.

WE CLAIM
1. A cleaning device comprising:
a shaft-shaped member (11);
a holder (13) that is rotatable about the shaftshaped member (11);
a pad body (14) mounted to the holder (13) and
having a pad surface (14s) that can come into contact
with an outer peripheral surface (34s) of a draft roller
(34a);
an urging member (15) that is mounted to the holder
(13) and urges the holder (13) to bring the pad surface
(14s) into contact with the outer peripheral surface
(34s); and
an elastic supporting section (12) that is mounted
to the shaft-shaped member (11) and supports the holder
(13), wherein
a width of the elastic supporting section (12) in
an axial direction of the shaft-shaped member (11) is
1/3 or more and 1/2 or less of a width of the pad surface
(14s) in the axial direction, and
a distance between a center of the elastic
supporting section (12) and a center of the pad surface
(14s) in the axial direction is smaller than the width
of the elastic supporting section (12) in the axial
33
direction.
2. The cleaning device as claimed in claim 1,
wherein a distance between the center of the elastic
supporting section (12) and the center of the pad surface
(14s) in the axial direction is smaller than 1/2 of the
width of the elastic supporting section (12) in the axial
direction.
3. The cleaning device as claimed in claim 1 or
2, wherein the elastic supporting section (12) is a
single elastic supporting member (121).
4. The cleaning device as claimed in claim 3,
wherein the elastic supporting member (121) has a
cylindrical shape in which the shaft-shaped member (11)
is fitted.
5. The cleaning device as claimed in claim 4,
wherein a length of the shaft-shaped member (11) in the
axial direction is larger than a width of the elastic
supporting member (121) in the axial direction.
6. The cleaning device as claimed in claim 5,
34
wherein the shaft-shaped member (11) includes a first
portion (111) including one end portion of the shaftshaped member (11) and fitted to the elastic supporting
member (121), and a second portion (112) connected to
the first portion (111) on a side opposite to the one
end portion, and an outer diameter of the second portion
(112) is larger than an outer diameter of the first
portion (111).
7. The cleaning device as claimed in any one of
claims 4 to 6, wherein the elastic supporting member
(121) is fixed to the holder (13), and the holder (13)
is rotatable together with the elastic supporting member
(121) about the shaft-shaped member (11).
8. The cleaning device as claimed in any one of
claims 1 to 7, wherein the pad surface (14s) has a
rectangular shape.
9. The cleaning device as claimed in any one of
claims 1 to 8, wherein the urging member (15) is a plate
spring.
10. The cleaning device as claimed in any one of
35
claims 1 to 9, comprising a lever (16) that operates the
urging member (15) to cause the holder (13) to rotate in
each direction of a first direction in which the pad
surface (14s) comes into contact with the outer
peripheral surface (34s) and a second direction in which
the pad surface (14s) is separated from the outer
peripheral surface (34s).
11. A draft device comprising:
the cleaning device (10) as claimed in any one of
claims 1 to 10; and
a plurality of pairs of rollers (31 to 34) that
draft a fiber bundle (S, F),
wherein, among the plurality pairs of rollers (31
to 34), the cleaning device (10) is provided for at least
one draft roller (34a) included in a pair of rollers
(34) located on a most downstream side in a travelling
direction of the fiber bundle (S, F).
12. A spinning machine comprising:
the draft device (3) as claimed in claim 11;
a pneumatic spinning device (4) that produces a
yarn (Y) by twisting the fiber bundle (S, F) drafted by
the draft device (3) with a whirling airflow; and
36
a winding device (8) that winds the yarn (Y)
produced by the pneumatic spinning device (4) to form a
package (P).